"I think the most pointless suicides are the suicides of alcoholics, because basically what we're doing is we can't face our own music – that’s the bottom line and it is pretty selfish," she said.

"But you're not aware of that at the time - you're kind of crazy."

When O'Loughlin's psychiatrist, Dr Mark Johnson, met her last April he said she felt quite "hopeless" about her life and about her alcoholism, and her depression was quite severe as well.

Dr Johnson said the clinic was able to offer her a comprehensive management plan, including two cycles of an eight-week outpatients' group program so she could put these skills into practice while living her normal life.

O'Loughlin's story inspires wider community discussion

O'Loughlin has used her comedy profile to talk about the often taboo subject of suicide, and recently discussed the topic with friend and fellow comedian Lawrence Mooney on the Little Dum Dum Club comedy podcast.

Little Dum Dum Club producer Karl Chandler said they had never had as much feedback about a single episode before, receiving hundreds of Facebook messages, tweets, and emails.

"To be completely honest, as we were recording it, and when we finished it, I thought, 'What have we got here? Can we even put this out? Will this offend people?'

"But what happened was an overflowing of amazingly supportive feedback. It really struck a chord with everyone that listened," he said.

Mr Chandler said it showed that audiences found such "brutal honesty" very engaging.

"[Honesty] is really attractive to people and that sort of subject matter is more relatable to people than I thought," he said.

"It felt like a lot of people had been in a similar position before, and they absolutely loved that someone they respected was talking about something that's not usually spoken of."

Hunter Institute of Mental Health director Jaelea Skehan said it is important that discussions about suicide take place.

"We certainly don't want suicide to be a taboo that is never spoken of, and in fact people like Fiona O'Loughlin talking about her experiences could help demystify the issue," she said.

"But at the same time we want to make sure that we don’t make light of an issue that is deeply distressing to many people.

"While we do not want to censor the media or commentator, we need to make sure that any material going out through mass communication does not inadvertently increase the risk of someone listening or watching."

Addictions specialist Dr Matthew Frei, from the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre, said having high-profile people speak about their addictions is a positive step.

"I think somebody coming out about their alcohol use, especially somebody in a position of influence, or someone prominent, can't be a bad thing," he said.

"I think it's a really powerful message about caution, about [how] this can happen to anyone, about, you know, just because you're prominent, seemingly bright and motivated and successful - that it doesn't mean you can't be affected by alcohol."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.